And then there was that episode…

…When Bullet dies.

…When Holder and Linden almost kiss.

WHAT?

Yes, this sequence of events will forever haunt my dreams:

Holder, you can wear a wifebeater, my friend.

Reckoning was by far the season’s best episode, followed by the two-hour premiere as a close second.

At first I thought that they killed Bullet too soon, but then I realized that there are only two episodes left in this season and that the arc inevitably has to start descending on the other side.

I have just two questions:

Will Bullet’s death and the overwhelming guilt push Holder back to the dark side? We know how he has dealt with his guilt in the past – ambling along in oncoming traffic, let’s say. His expressions discovering Bullet’s body in the trunk of that car and later on the coroner’s table were heartbreaking. Linden’s trying to protect him from that sight reminds me of when Holder held her back from looking at the dead teenager’s body – the one she thought was Jack.

Will the two detectives ever get together?

As for the latter, I really hope not.

Their developing relationship/friendship/partnership is, in my opinion, what keeps the show so riveting.

As a matter of fact, I think that Holder’s protectiveness of Linden has almost become a bit overwhelming. It’s also one of the reasons why he pushed Bullet away so violently. She gave him bad information that almost got Linden killed. He reacted like a Rottweiler. She tried to reach back out to him, and he ignored her. Now, she’s dead. It’s almost as if Holder’s knight in shining armor behavior helped built his own Trojan horse. Now Bullet is dead and there’s nothing he can do about it.

As for the Seward case – will he hang? Will his son get a chance to see him? I really was disappointed that their lead in that case turned out not to be the killer. Then again, that would have been too simple, and The Killing never goes for simple.